A Day with Sagres Towering Waves

They say Sagres is where the land ends and the sea begins. But today, it felt more like where the sea decided to put on a spectacular, thunderous show of pure, untamed power. The usual serene backdrop of fortress cliffs and sprawling horizons had been swapped for a scene from an epic maritime drama. Walking the cliffs of Cabo de São Vicente, the first thing that hit me wasn't the spray, but the sound. A deep, rhythmic boom echoed against the ancient rock, a primal heartbeat announcing the Atlantics arrival long before it came into view. And then, there it was. The ocean was no longer its familiar deep blue, but a churning, frothing palette of greys and seafoam green. Mountains of water, some looking several stories high, rolled in with a terrifying grace. They didnt just break against the cliffs; they exploded. At Ponta de Sagres and around the iconic fortress, waves launched themselves at the limestone walls, sending plumes of white spray soaring 30, 40, even 50 meters into the air. The wind would catch these geysers, sheeting them back across the headland in a salty mist that reached us even on the high paths.